Digitalization and Audio Mastering (Restoration) in Institute of Artstudies – Sofia
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Преглед НЦД 19 (2011), 45–52 Aleks Nushev DIGITALIZATION AND AUDIO MASTERING (RESTORATION) IN INSTITUTE OF ARTSTUDIES – SOFIA Abstract. I present a part of our work at the audio archive. Focused on some mastering conceptions and video references, I will try to give you approach how we do “the process”. In this papper I will explain: I.Presentation of existing vinyl’s in our archive II.A few words about BAARTI project which is the main financial “backbone”. III.Our hardware (Laser Turntable, hardware ELP declicker with 88 kHz high-grade AD converter, Vacuum Cleaner for LP’s, TC Electronics professional ASIO compatible audio interface etc.) IV.The main (last) part is dedicated to the concrete processing applications like Crackle, Hiss and Pops removal, multiband compression, RMS level optimization, pitch correction and similar. The workflow is Samplitude Master Edition supported by Waves Restoration - Mastering plug ins and UAD card with master bundle. The conclusion polemize about the question “Do we need to do all this processing?” or better leave it untouched. Also a few words about audio digital database, data storage, back up and perspective’s. Keywords: Institute of Art Studies – Sofia, Audio Digitalization and Restoration, Laser Turntable, BAARTI project, audio mastering concepts, Alexander Yanakiev. I Institute of Art possesses a rich collection of old records (records for scientific purposes and commercial boards) - a unique and quantity and content. It's a collection of about 1500 plates on which the recordings were made during the first half of the XX century. So far they are not treated (restored, digitized, databased) and examined in its entirety (except for single publications - eg. V. Dimov. "Towards the Study of recorded music in Bulgaria in the first half of the twentieth century: the archives and collections, Bulgarian Musicology , ХХІХ, 2005 / 1:144–172). Some of these records are carriers of the preserved most ancient records of traditional music made for scientific purposes in Bulgaria. They are unique because they have single copies - have entered the field and not reproduction. There are also more than 800 records recorded by the recording companies Presto and Telefunken during the period 1938–1953, according to their size they are three types (high, middle and small) according to the material – metal, glass, PVC, etc,. according to the manufacturing company – "Presto," Detsilit "," Suprafon "," Audiodisk "," Rekorddisk. Among the earliest and most valuable records are made by Rayna Katsarova registrations of traditional music in 1938 (along with American Esther Johnson - Sofia, Sofia, Rodopi) and 1939 (Northeastern Bulgaria - document recordings of V Festival, Varna). Early recordings as a traditional music in Bulgaria does not store any other institution (archives of the Folklore Institute, for example, Bulgarian traditional music recorded over the past three decades). These are about 600 records from the first half of the twentieth century - shellac, 78 speed, Bulgarian and foreign companies. The collection began to be collected and cataloged over 60 years of the twentieth century, but the earliest artifacts are from her first decade of the century - records of companies "Gramophone Concert Record", Favorit record "," Diploma "," Pate. Valuable this collection is that it stores the earliest recordings of Bulgarian 46 Aleks Nushev traditional, artistic and popular music. Among the oldest records are those of the music of Leybgvardeyskiya NTSV Regiment (actually the first symphony orchestra in Bulgaria) records one of the founders of opera in Bulgaria, Stoyan Mihaylov, records one of the most famous orchestras post office "Shop" - all period from 1904–1910 onwards; early recordings of a traditional instruments and ensembles of brass and military bands, operetta and popular tunes of singers - 20 and 30 years of the twentieth century, recordings of music of ethnic groups - 40 - and they are 50 years of the twentieth century collection contains records documenting the origin of the music industry and music media in Bulgaria - Bulgarian companies "Patel-Simonaviya / Later-Simonaviya Orpheus", "London Record", "Micro- phone" "Crystal", "Balkan", "Harp" and others. As the quantity and content of the commercial collection records of the Institute of Art is unique - some of the plates do not occur in such prominent collections in Bulgaria (BNR Gold Fund, the Permanent Collection at the history of exposure to radio of Sofia University). 1 There are also approximately 3,000 musical recordings on a tape. The oldest recorded music in Bulgaria is currently not accessible to public because it has not been preserved and processed using contemporary advanced technological methods.The Folk Music Archive of the Institute of Art Studies documents Bulgaria'; folkloric heritage, which has been collected by ethno-musicologists for almost a century. Written materials number over 250,000 pages, while there are over 750 films and about 900 video cassettes.2 II. Bulgarian Art Archives and Advanced Research Technologies (BAAART) Project director: Assoc. Prof. Alexander Yanakiev, DS: “Time has taken its toll; thus, some of the archive materials are threatened by the aging of the different materials they are kept on: paper, photographic, plates and materials, recording and film materials, gramophone records, etc. Using these materials as they now exist is becoming more and more difficult. For all of these reasons, the managing body of the institute has developed a program for preservation, protection and modern presentation of these valuable assets; the Bulgarian Art Archives. Thanks to a grant provided by the Ministry of Education and Science for the support and presentation of the archives, the Institute can now use advanced research technologies. Starting at the beginning of 2007, the two-year project Bulgarian Art Archives and Advanced Research Technologies (BAAART) has been underway. The project emphasizes the necessity for the collection, selection, processing and preservation of the rapidly vanishing traces of Bulgarian art culture, which is part of a national and European heritage. The highly qualified team from the Institute of Arts Studies has undertaken this activity. The process of preservation both of the already existing art archives, belonging to the institute and other organizations, and of important contemporary art events includes urgent recording, scanning and digitalization. In addition, collection of books related to the project, periodicals, discs, audio-visual records, etc., is necessary for the supply and actualization of the archives. Creation of such an interdisciplinary database in the fields of fine arts, music, theatre and cinema aims at the provision of better conditions for using the archives, including organization of a computer info centre as well as internet access for 1 Dimov Vencislav. "Studies of recorded music in Bulgaria during the first half of XX century: Archives and collections". Bulgarian Musicology (2005/1). 2 Aleksander Yanakiev, Advances in Bulgarian Science 2007/1 Aleks Nushev 47 scholars, students and all those interested in the field of art studies. The latter might increase the networking and collaboration not only between all scholars and specialists in art studies in Bulgaria from different institutions, but also might assist in popularization and increase of foreign scholars' interest in Bulgarian artistic heritage, resulting in new international joint research. The project also contributes to the development of better career opportunities for young scholars and specialists in art studies. According to the project's two—year schedule of planned activities, it will be possible to process only part of the existing archives of the institute, as well as the archives of other organizations, personal archives and archives of contemporary art events. Work on the further development of the archives as well as their public popularization might continue during the following years. The main aims of this project are to digitalize the following materials in a short period of time: • currently existing archives • to initiate creation of archives of important contemporary art events Realization of these difficult tasks is facilitated by the fact that an enormous amount of data collected by the research fellows of the Institute of Art Studies already exists in four fields: 1. fine arts (ancient, medieval, and modern art) 2. music (folklore, liturgical songs, contemporary music) 3. theatre (20th century, contemporary theatre 4. cinema (fiction movies, documentary films, animation) These archives are divided into: · photo-archives, · bibliographical catalogues, · textual archives, · audiovisual archives, · micro-film archive Japan has already provided the institute with unique equipment for re-recording of records, the ELP Laser Turntable LT-ZXRC with an ELP declicker. Acquired equipment and performed activities via BAARTI - Laser Turntable ELP Laser Turntаble LT-2XRC and accessories - Large format scanner - Kodak Filemaster+ A 2 book scanner - Work stations Hobit – the working and visitors places are equipped with these tools - VPN network created - Special software was made for the creation of the integrated data base - 1500 records from the archive of the Institute of Art Studies were digitalized, - 55 000 pages of old, valuable and endangered publications were scanned - Digitalized with the help of a photo-camera were 10 000 materials concerning different arts from newspapers and magazines